The present invention relates to a plate for application to a surface to be protected to which access is restricted by a relatively small opening and a method for applying a plate to a surface to which access is restricted by an opening of relatively small diameter. More particularly, the present invention relates to a striker plate for protecting the bottom of an underground storage tank (UST) from damage caused from the impact of an object thereon.
The particular application for which the present invention is intended is for use with underground storage tanks for storage of gasoline at gasoline service stations. The operators of the service station are required by federal regulation and for the purpose of inventory reconciliation to measure the depth of the gasoline in the UST at regular intervals for the purpose of calculating the volume of gasoline in the UST. To do so, the operator drops a dip stick down into the UST through the filler pipe to measure the depth of the gasoline in the UST. Most USTs installed at gasoline service stations are made of fiberglass, and the repeated dropping of the dip stick into the UST for the purpose of measuring the depth of the gasoline causes dents, cracks, and other damage to the bottom of the UST with the eventual result that the fiberglass fails and begins to leak gasoline from the tank.
Consequently, most USTs presently being installed are provided with a metal plate on the bottom of the UST beneath the filler pipe to protect against damage to the bottom of the tank from the impact of the dip stick. On information and belief, federal regulation will soon require such plates, called striker plates, in all USTs. There are, however, a large number of USTs which are presently in operation which do not have striker plates installed in them, and it is specifically for those USTs that the present invention is intended.
The currently available methods for installing striker plates in those USTs which are not provided with them involve digging down to the UST (which is usually covered with concrete), removing the gasoline stored therein, degassing the tank, cutting into and opening the top of the tank, lowering a technician down into the opened tank to install the striker plate, repairing the opening, and replacing the fill and concrete over the UST. This process is quite expensive, and takes the UST out of service for the time required for the installation. Between the cost and other disadvantages of this known process for installing striker plates and the federal regulations which will soon require their installation, there is an urgent need for an apparatus and method for installing a striker plate in those USTs which are not already provided with them. It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus and method.
Of course, those skilled in the art who have the benefit of this disclosure will recognize that the method and apparatus of the present invention is capable of use in applications other than the installation of a striker plate in an underground storage tank. It is, therefore, in a more general sense, an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for applying a protective plate to a surface to be protected in installations in which access to the surface is restricted by a relatively small opening. Other objects, and the advantages, of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of a presently preferred embodiment thereof.